Mission Statement:

The Internet Communications Working Group provides tactical tools, IT infrastructure, support, and advice to other working groups to facilitate online communication among groups and between Occupy Seattle and the Internet community. Presented to GA 10-10-2011

Weekly ITC Mtg:

Minutes:

Obtained an annual contract on a small VPS as a test installation at a very good rate. We will be moving a couple of the small Occupation sites to it once it is fully set up and tested. Discussed the issues seting the server up and some of the limitiations we have found.

Reviewed the work related to a custom page for the Calendar as requested by Amy. So far no success.

If you receive a phone call from the Intelligence Division of the Police Department asking for information about September 17, you are not required to answer them. It is recommended that you arrive to Wall Street with legal contact information written on your wrist or ankle; there is no guarantee that information written on paper will be accessible in the event of arrest.

During the Occupation

Provided that you do not block building entrances or more than half of a sidewalk, it is legal
to have a moving picket line and hand out literature. You are also legally allowed to use whistles, drums, and any other non-amplified generators of sound. Unless a permit is obtained, it is unlawful to march in the streets, have a procession with 50 or more automobiles or bicycles, gather with more than 20 people in a public park, or use amplified sound. Public parks close at 10 PM. A permit is not being requested for the occupation. According to the New York Civil Liberties Union, amplified sound is prohibited “within 500 feet of a school, courthouse or church during hours of school court or worship, or within 500 feet of a hospital… [and] between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m. in nonresidential areas.”

It is illegal for more than two people to wear masks, including bandanas, during a demonstration. The New York City Police Department will take away any signs that use wooden sticks, metal, or PVC pipes, as well as any signs that are affixed to public property. Hanging a banner from a bridge can lead to being charged with reckless endangerment.

You are allowed to sleep on the sidewalk as part of a political protest without a permit (Met Council v. NYPD, 2000); however, you must keep half of the sidewalk clear for pedestrians. It is unlawful for structures such as tents to be erected.

If You Come into Contact with the Police During the action, if police prevent you from leaving, ask if you are free to go. If they ask to search you or your bag, you should repeatedly state, “I do not consent to a search.” The New York City chapter of the National Lawyers Guild advises that if you are arrested, it is best to say, “I am going to remain silent. I want to speak to a lawyer.” The police can legally lie when attempting to acquire information from you. You have the right to ask for an officer’s name and badge number. If you are mistreated, obtain this information as well as contact information of witnesses. If you are injured, take photographs of the injuries as soon as possible. Lastly, the National Lawyers Guild states, “If you are undocumented, out of status, a legal permanent resident (green card holder), or a citizen, you do not have to answer any questions about your immigration history [to government officers].”

Spread flyers, awareness, and discuss the future of the Occupy Seattle movement! Do we want to start an overnight occupation? Do we want to continue to gather outside of the Federal Building? Let’s talk about it!

Powerful words, albeit an unfortunate distraction from the aim of the protests, which are meant to draw attention not to the crimes of police, but to those of the much bigger bullies in the financial sector, who are once again getting away unpunished and unobserved:

The Sovereign People’s Movement, represented nationally through the people occupying the various Liberty Square locations across this great country, have laid out and democratically submitted and are currently voting on the list of following Demands to then be distilled into one Unified Common demand of the people.

Gene Sharp is Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He is known for his extensive writings on nonviolent struggle, which have influenced numerous anti-government resistance movements around the world. Over the past four decades, revolutionaries from Belgrade to Tehran have cited Sharp’s work as a key tool in their struggles. His writings on nonviolent strategy have been translated into 40 languages. All are freely accessible on the website of the Albert Einstein Institution, a nonprofit Sharp founded in 1983 “to advance the worldwide study and strategic use of nonviolent action.”

Formal Statements
1. Public Speeches
2. Letters of opposition or support
3. Declarations by organizations and institutions
4. Signed public statements
5. Declarations of indictment and intention
6. Group or mass petitions

Noncooperation with Social Events, Customs, and Institutions
60. Suspension of social and sports activities
61. Boycott of social affairs
62. Student strike
63. Social disobedience
64. Withdrawal from social institutions

Rejection of Authority
120. Withholding or withdrawal of allegiance
121. Refusal of public support
122. Literature and speeches advocating resistance

Citizens’ Noncooperation with Government
123. Boycott of legislative bodies
124. Boycott of elections
125. Boycott of government employment and positions
126. Boycott of government depts., agencies, and other bodies
127. Withdrawal from government educational institutions
128. Boycott of government-supported organizations
129. Refusal of assistance to enforcement agents
130. Removal of own signs and placemarks
131. Refusal to accept appointed officials
132. Refusal to dissolve existing institutions

International Governmental Action
151. Changes in diplomatic and other representations
152. Delay and cancellation of diplomatic events
153. Withholding of diplomatic recognition
154. Severance of diplomatic relations
155. Withdrawal from international organizations
156. Refusal of membership in international bodies
157. Expulsion from international organizations

Organizing to support our brothers in New York #occupywallstreet and demand a stop to the fiscal destruction of our country! Corporate greed and government corruption will be the plight of our nation!

Spread this event.

Do not be discouraged or drawn away from attending this event because of the low attending numbers. We need people like you to join in solidarity to spread this message and make this event become larger over time.

There is no current Overnight camp in Occupy Seattle. General Assemblies are at Westlake Park.

When:

General Assemblies are currently once per week, at 7pm Wednesday at Westlake, 400 Pine. Direct Actions and other meetings are listed on the calendar. Call or e-mail a Working Group for other events and activities.

What:

A diverse group of Seattleites began an extended public occupation in Seattle. The occupation was part of a national movement that started with the Occupy Wall Street resistance movement in New York City.

Why:

By joining the nationwide Occupy movement, we want to focus elected officials and the voting public on the majority's desire to take our government and country back from the big-money interests that currently hold undue sway over decisions affecting us all. We are coming together in large numbers to affect this change.